Invading France

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All Forums >> [New Releases from Matrix Games] >> Gary Grigsby's War in the West >> The War Room >> Invading France

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Invading France - 6/9/2015 1:40:14 AM

carlkay58

Posts: 8650
Joined: 7/25/2010
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Invasion France Selections

A: Too far away from air support and not really a benefit to invade here.

B: The back door to the Brest peninsula. Best if invaded in conjunction with an invasion in E to cut off the peninsula. The double invasion usually works against the AI but I have not yet seen it tried against a human Axis player so I am not sure if it would work. Otherwise this area is just too hard support as an only invasion area - so only invade here in conjunction with another invasion.

C: The back door to Brest. Can be used with an invasion in D to cut off Brest quickly. This invasion requires the reduction of Brest quickly - not always that easy. The area is just a bit too far for decent air support although it is possible. Limited potential for anything other than helping an invasion in D or E from being bogged down too quickly.

D: The typical invasion area for a quick shot at Brest. Sometimes a secondary invasion to speed up the reduction of Brest and get that port sending supplies quickly onto French soil. Can be used in conjuction with C or D for a possible pincer invasion.

E: It does not have the high level ports that B or D has, but it is easy to get there from these beaches. Lots of good areas where a single Amphib unit can support three beaches. That is always a plus. Can be used with an invasion in B for a quick pincer move that can cut off the peninsual quickly and offset the invasion penalty. Tricky play involves an invasion in C and D that cuts off Brest followed about two or three turns later with invasions in B and E to cut off all those nasty Axis units bottling in the earlier invasion. It used to be extremely deadly against the AI but the AI is more cautious in this area and they changed the airborne drop distance to adjacent to beach heads so you have to leave a single hex open (unless you do the invasion in C and D first and then it is within overland distance). I have never had the nerve to use the plan versus humans but it can still be a nasty possiblity for a good pocket.

F: The Channel Islands. While not properly a mainland invasion, if the Axis player (the AI will not) withdraws the garrisons then a pair of regiment/brigade invasions in early April to early May can give two nice airfields that will greatly increase the ability of the Allies to support invasions in A to E as well as G (since the port interdiction is negated). This is my requirement in order to pull the C/D invasion followed by the B/E invasion these days. If offered for free take these islands regardless of your invasion plans because it causes a lot of headaches for the Axis to worry about with little cost or resources and it no longer counts as a garrison zone so no problems there.

G: A difficult place to invade because of the Channel Islands and the port of Cherbourg. The amount of naval interdiction produced by those ports will cause some Allied naval losses that makes this a real gamble for not much pay out.

H: The historical invasion sites. The bocage gives good defensive terrain that will hinder your advance but will also hinder the Axis attempts to throw you back into the water. Close enough for good air support of all kinds.

I: A bit more risky than H because of the larger port of Le Havre. If you can reduce the port then this is a decent invasion site. The lack of bocage can allow a faster expansion of the invasion area but also does not give you the defensive terrain that H gives you. The risk may pay out okay or you may get burned.

J: The French ports in this area do not present a great naval interdiction challenge but this area is where the defenses are beginning to be much better. Closer for a drive immediately on Paris or towards the French border but the Axis player knows this too.

K: So close to England that air support is so easy. But there are so many ports in this area that invasions will be forced to be single or double hexes - just too easy to be pummeled by Axis counter attacks and tossed back into the Channel. Too risk to really use as a primary invasion site but could be used for a secondary invasion site if the Axis player strips out all the garrisons, but don't bet on such stupidity. It is just too easy for the Axis player to just garrison the ports (with fort levels of 4) and that alone will break up your invasion too much.

L: Silly place to invade - too restrictive in the naval area. The double ports in the center of the zone gives a good base for the Axis and the other peninsula/ferry hexes makes it too easy for the Axis player to stuff an invasion.

M: I have seen this area be used as a secondary invasion site very successfully or as a diversion site to draw off Axis defenders. With the new polder terrain this area becomes like the bocage of area H with much less room for maneuver and all those rivers everywhere that fighting against a full strength Axis force is going to be very bloody.

N: The back door. It is actually fairly easy to land in this area, even against human players. It is also very easy to bottle up the area. This is the invasion area that got Pelton his loss - but once he learned that lesson don't expect that to happen again. I feel that this is best as a later invasion site when sufficient pressure is being put on the Axis to limit its response in this area.